What's wrong with Flash?

The broader problem is that you're putting a lot of trust -- maybe too much trust -- in Adobe to keep making Flash better.

And for gadgets like the iPhone and iPad, Apple doesn't want to rely on Adobe for anything. That's why it's using its influence to trash Flash and promote HTML5.

So, if HTML5 is so great, when will everyone be using it?

Here's the big problem: For everyone to start using HTML5 instead of Flash, web sites need to re-do all their video players and animations that are currently in Flash. They can't just recycle the Flash code; it has to be re-made in HTML5. (Though they should be able to use a lot of their existing video files.)

That costs money and time. Especially for complex industries -- such as online advertising or gaming -- that are very comfortable and happy using Flash.

And that's the argument for tablets and other devices to keep supporting Flash -- because not every website is going to redo all its Flash tools in HTML5 right away.

Either way, it's going to take a long time for Flash to go away completely, if it ever does.

Can my computer even handle HTML5?

Good question.

Flash originally took off because it was designed to work the same on every computer type and web browser -- whether it's Internet Explorer on Windows or Safari on a Mac. As a result, Flash is currently supported by pretty much every PC and Mac. But NOT the iPhone and iPad, or almost every cellphone.

As for HTML5, all the major browsers have said they will support it on their new browsers. But it doesn't work on old browsers, which a lot of people still use.

Anyway, most people won't notice the switch. If you're curious about whether or not your browser can handle HTML5, here's a good way to test it: Click on this site: http://html5test.com/. It tells you if your browser supports HTML5, and how completely it does or does not support it.

So if everyone switches over to HTML5, will Adobe go out of business?

No.

Adobe generates a small minority of its revenue directly from Flash. (Flash is bundled into Adobe's popular Creative Suite of software. Adobe's Creative Solutions business does account for the majority of the company's revenue.)

But Flash is far from the only reason that people buy Creative Suite software. The Creative Suite includes Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, three of the most popular design and publishing programs in the world. Flash is important for Flash designers, but not for everyone.

Here's some evidence: A Piper Jaffray report from March 29 passed along survey results from Photoshop World and Adobe MAX conferences over the last four years. Piper asked attendees which Adobe program was they considered primary. At every Photoshop conference, 0% of the respondents said they considered Flash a primary product. As far as the MAX conference goes, 0% considered it primary, except in October 2009, when 15% considered it primary.

So, while Flash is important to Adobe from a strategic standpoint, it's not going to bankrupt them if people stop using Flash.

If Flash isn't Adobe's most important product, why is it so enraged about all this?

The continued dominance of Flash on computers is important for Adobe, even if it's not its biggest money maker. Plus, no one likes to be
flogged publicly by Apple
, one of the most important consumer electronics companies in the world, just as Adobe is trying to make Flash relevant for mobile devices. (Especially when you're Adobe, and you've been
failing at mobile for years
.)

Flash's control over web video and ads also keeps creative professionals locked into buying Adobe software. Adobe has also tried to get media companies to pay for Flash video streaming licenses, with some success.

What's Adobe's opportunity here?

But Adobe should also invest in making the best tools in the world to create HTML5 content. There's no reason Adobe should let anyone else run away with that market.

It should also focus on making Flash work as good as possible on phones and tablets. If it can actually make a good version of Flash that doesn't use a lot of power, then maybe Apple's rivals will support it.

And if it someday becomes mainstream, then it might even force Apple to support Flash on the iPhone and iPad. (Fat chance.)

Ahhh... I think I get this stuff, but remind me again why I care.

Okay, okay. Why does this matter to a regular web user?

If you own an iPad or mobile phone that surfs the web, you might be wondering why you can't watch certain videos, or access certain websites, like Hulu. Now you know! It's because they run on Flash.

If you don't own an iPad, why do you care? Basically, the idea is that the web will work better for you when HTML5 becomes more widespread.

And that you won't have to deal with plugins -- both the stuff you know you need to think about, like installing and updating them, AND the stuff you don't know the plugins are doing to you, like slowing down your computer and eating up your laptop battery.

Here's web zenmaster Jeffrey Zeldman once again:

"How does this matter to the consumer? On one level it doesn't matter, of course; a website just works and that's what a consumer expects. But on another level it does matter, because the consumer can have a rich experience using a simple, standards-compliant browser without bothering to install, configure, and troubleshoot plug-ins. This means that the consumer can have a rich experience on a light, portable, universal platform. For an individual consumer, a small device can afford a rich experience, and the computer is less likely to experience out-of-memory errors and configuration problems associated with plug-ins and user-configurable settings. From an IT department's perspective, workload, user support, and resources can be greatly reduced, because all you really have to do is make sure that every user in the department has a capable browser."